Digging Deep: What Makes Shiba Inu Dogs So Special?

[Music] one of japan's most iconic dog breeds is the shiba inu their various expressions are full of charm fierce dignified [Music] active [Music] yet gentle now shibainu is more popular than ever [Music] so what are their characteristics today we'll look at shibahi news through the latest analytical research and take a journey to uncover its long history [Music] let's dig deep and discover what makes shiva news so special around 800 japanese dogs gathered at an event [Applause] we asked the owners what shibainus are like [Laughter] in other words don't seem to be such easy dogs to own let's take a look at the temperament in shiba inus first we'll start with this story [Music] this is hanaka takeshi and his wife yoshimi with their shibainu gonta is six years old [Music] the wife yoshimi has always taken care of gonta walking and playing with them the husband takeshi did almost nothing gonta didn't seem to bond with him either [Music] gonta's favorite spot is in front of this door he spends most of his time by this living room door and doesn't seem to pay much attention to his owners one morning two years ago when yoshimi was just about to leave for work something happened to takeshi [Music] it was a heart attack he was in cardiac arrest yoshimi visited him every day and she was filled with anxiety foreign [Music] this is the picture of gonta that takeshi had with him while he was in the hospital [Music] contact continues to spend most of his time in his favorite spot in front of the door as if nothing had happened he watches over his owners from a distance [Music] this is seen as a common trait among chiba inus [Music] azabu university is home to one of japan's leading faculty of veterinary medicine professor takehumi kikusi conducts research that compares the temperament of different dog breeds [Music] this is an example of one of his experiments [Music] the person in the middle is the owner the other two are people the dog has never met before the time the dog spends being in the area around the owner is considered interaction the time spent looking at the owner also counts first let's look at an european breed it goes straight to its owner korea [Music] [Music] now how about ashibain it will check other people but will not approach its owner my and finally the sheba comes near the owner of me this is the result of the experiment conducted on more than 20 female dogs the amount of time spent watching their owners is not much different between european breeds and shibainus however chiba spent far less time being physically near their owners this result was also supported by a survey 2 500 dog owners responded to a survey with more than 100 questions the results showed that shiba ins are less likely than european breeds to physically express their attachment or affection for their owners shibainua has also conducted other experiments first a person puts food in a container yes she lets the dog know that the food is there in the next step the lid is closed tightly yes let's see what the european breed does [Music] after 20 seconds the dog gave up trying and turned to people for help [Music] they conducted the same experiment on a shiba inu [Music] the sheba tries hard to open the lid it does not look at the owner at all the dog kept trying for over 40 seconds on its own [Music] this shiva reacts the same way [Music] here is the result of professor kikusui's experiment conducted on nearly 400 dogs it confirmed that shiba inus work harder and longer on their own compared to european breeds [Music] [Music] foreign acting independently yet watching over the owner attentively without being too close that's what makes them shibainus [Music] now what is the history behind this special breed let's go back 30 000 years to do so we need to look at it in three parts the origin of dogs the evolution of japanese dogs and the revival of shibainus first let's take a look at the origin of dogs today there are hundreds of dog breeds in the world but if you trace back their ancestors they all lead to the wolf wolves have always lived in packs and survived by attacking their prey they rarely approached human beings however humans succeeded in domesticating some of these wolves this is the origin of the dog people began to live with them and use them for hunting and other purposes through this process a big difference was created between dogs and wolves veterinary anatomist yoshihiro hayashi is focusing on a new study from the uk welcome to china foreign the facial muscles of the wolf is on the right and the dog on the left compared to the wolf the dog has two particularly developed muscles shown in reducing [Music] since long ago this new ability that dogs have acquired has helped create a trusting relationship between humans and dogs [Music] there's a discovery that points to this [Music] these are 4 000 to 5 000 year old dog skeletons found in japan the bones were unearthed almost in their original form it is believed that the dog had been carefully buried [Music] in the partnership [Music] that preserves the atmosphere of a time long past here there's a dog with two typical dog traits [Music] the pink collar is a permit for taking off the leash when necessary [Music] for many years farmers in this area have been suffering from damages caused by monkeys [Music] wild monkeys were destroying their crops [Music] installing electric fencing did not have much effect [Music] the people came up with the idea of having the shiba inus chase away the monkeys this is how they're trained this is the video of when a monkey actually appeared [Music] immediately dash towards the monkey and the monkey flees the area this wild instinct was inherited from the wolf and they have another trait even when they're in a forest they'll come back when they hear a whistle dogs have learned to be obedient to humans [Music] the dogs of nagiso are loved by many however they have undoubtedly inherited their wild instincts [Music] among the dogs that have emerged japanese dogs have evolved a bit differently dogs which evolved from moves have become domesticated in many parts of the world in europe mainly from the 18th to the 19th century dogs were bred for different purposes and various breeds with diverse physical appearances were born on the other hand there are six major breeds in japan that are designated as natural treasures they all have erect ears and narrow faces there's not much variety compared to european dogs [Music] this is a member of the shiba inu family which has been bred based on the skeletal structure of a neolithic dog it's on the slim side but there are no major differences facial features of japanese dogs look similar to wolves in japan there once was a species of wolf called the japanese wolf although it became extinct about 120 years ago it had lived in the wild by hunting prey in a new study they found that the dna of the japanese wolf is actually present in the dna of the japanese dog [Music] dr yeohe terai analyzes the genomes of japanese wolves and japanese dogs he came up with the following hypothesis [Music] on [Music] the dna of japanese dogs has 2.7 billion base pairs among them 45 percent are the same as european dogs [Music] however it was found that up to four percent of the genome of japanese dogs were derived from the japanese wolf [Music] today [Music] what exactly does this tell us [Music] believes that the differences in the way humans treat dogs may have contributed to the unique characteristics of japanese dogs this is how the japanese dog has evolved in its own unique way the smallest of the japanese dogs came to be known as the shibainu comparing the standard shibainu with other japanese dogs you can see the difference in size the relatively smaller shiba inu was an easy dog to keep but this beloved shiba inu had once faced a major crisis this is the story of the revival of shibainu once under the threat of going extinct there's a stone statue of a dog in front of a house in a farming village in shimane prefecture his name is ishi he is actually the ancestor of many of the shiba inus that exist today during the 1930s when ishii was born many western dogs came into japan along with european and american culture [Music] as japanese dogs crossbred with western dogs pure japanese breeds began to disappear [Music] the people who felt the need to take action founded a preservation society they searched for the typical japanese dog and bred them in order to preserve the lineage one of the members of the preservation society paid a visit to shimoyama the owner of ishii who lived deep in the mountains what happened to ishii after the visit on november 2nd ishii's birthday a celebration was held in this area let's find out the course of events in ishi's life through the storytelling performed at the event [Applause] [Music] one day one of the members of the preservation society paid a visit he said ishii is an extraordinary shibainu will you let us have him after thinking long and hard mr shimoyama decided to give up his beloved dog [Music] she was put on a train and it took many days to get to tokyo she was bred to a female dog that was also very much a shiba and their offspring were born one after another this is how the shibainu lineage was revived it is said that most of the shiba inus in japan now have inherited ishi's bloodline [Music] a memorial hall for issue was built beside the stone statue ichigo this is a precious photo of ishii next to it is his family tree [Music] is she never again returned to his hometown however he came back in a form of the stone statue [Applause] [Music] 91 years have passed since the birth of ishii people have gathered to celebrate his life [Music] now ishii looks over the fields and mountains where he used to run around with nobuitchi [Music] now what does the ideal shibainu look like [Music] in a seaside town in kagawa prefecture an event was held where many prize-winning dogs came together [Music] let's have two judges explain what the ideal shiba is using three dogs as models [Music] first of all the appearance hidu is our model unlike medium-sized dogs they have a body shape that can demonstrate agility many shibainus these days have loose saggy skin but he doesn't this is a form with strong limbs next the eyes the iris is a dark brownish color it's like the color of the bottom of a beer bottle it's not brown it's not black next the ears it has rather small triangle ears straight on the inside and round it on the outside next the nose our model is the nose influences how powerful the face looks if you look from the side the nose is slightly higher than the nose bridge if it drops like that the dog looks a bit goofy the upward nose makes the face look much more powerful the shibainu is the only dog breed that has a nose that rises like this this millimeter makes a big difference in the impression of the face now let's look at the temperament our model is bandai [Music] the three elements that describe the temperament of the shiba inu are you and soboku [Music] kanye describes how strong the spirit is this dog especially has a great spirit so we can say he's the ideal shiba inu next what is your say [Music] it doesn't bother him when i stroke him this is my first time to touch him this way as a judge i've only seen him from a few meters away a dog that barks at everyone doesn't have a strong mind dogs like this that is obedient and calm in the presence of the owner that's real strength the last element is is not necessarily cute at first glance poodles dachshunds and chihuahuas are cute at first sight the more time you spend looking at it the more you come to appreciate it it may be something that only a japanese person can understand i think it boils down to one sense of beauty ashiba is a type of dog that doesn't wag its tail at everyone nor does it easily warm up to you but once it does it becomes protective of that person it's not so easy to become an ideal shibainu this is a story of another shiba nana is a posta dog for a japanese style hotel in ishi's hometown she is only 15 months old nana is a bit mischievous [Music] saga [Music] eat [Music] however once she is outdoors nana's behavior changes completely she runs around on her own and doesn't care to stay around her owner nana's family completed professor kikusui's questionnaire kikusi analyzed nana's personality and gave them some advice [Music] us following professor kikusui's advice nana goes for a long walk again today [Music] next let's meet chacha he won't listen to his owners once chacha sits down during his walk he is stubborn [Music] the owners decide to take him to a dog obedience program [Music] when yamashita kunihiro praises him and gives some treats cha-cha this is a training method performed by taking away dog treats this makes the dog understand that good things happen when he obeys the owner next is a method to stop the dog from sitting down during walks [Music] cha-cha tries to grab the snack on the ground as the owner praises and rewards chacha with treats he eventually begins to follow his owner willingly [Music] this is the first step to achieving the ideal shibainu [Music] now let's sidetrack for a quick moment and look at some healthy food for shiba'i news shibainus often develop dementia and cataracts as they get older kirihara kimiko has come up with a diet to help prevent such diseases [Music] her dog musashi waits patiently in the kitchen [Music] her other dog waits in the living [Music] [Music] rehydrated dry tofu is added into the pan next she adds chinese herbal medicine chrysanthemums and wolf berries [Music] she pours a generous amount of soup on top it seems like a lot of work preparing their meals every day [Music] it's good and finally the meal is topped with stewed mackerel with jungle [Music] it's fulfilling and hydrating [Music] a minute [Music] all gone the last story is a heartwarming episode about a dog and his family [Music] in the suburbs of tokyo there's a studio where you can have your pictures taken with your pet the photographer is daniel from peru his wife miami is in charge of dress and kimono rental she and her husband also sell handmade dried flowers ding is their two-year-old daughter and this is kaji they are a family daniel is a fourth generation japanese peruvian [Music] he lived in peru until the age of nine he and his family moved to japan and obtained permanent residency at first he had a hard time because of the language barrier but continued to pursue his dream of becoming a photographer [Music] mayumi was born in china her japanese grandmother who could not return to japan after world war ii married a chinese man [Music] mayumi grew up in china at the age of seven she came to japan with her parents and grandmother [Music] although her family was not well off she was able to go to graduate school on a scholarship and even study abroad the two met at a restaurant where they worked part time [Music] and tied the knot in 2014 [Music] since that time japan has been attracting many tourists from other countries they came up with an idea for a new business the couple opened a kimono rental store in kyoto which targeted foreign visitors it was during that time that kanji entered their life [Music] kaji was taken in by an animal welfare group when he was found lying on the road scrawny and thin when the couple learned that he needed a new home they went to see him and took him in there friends this is how their life started as a family kaji turned out to play an important role in the newly opened store [Music] foreign visitors that spotted kaji flocked to the store to have a picture taken with them [Music] there [Music] two years later their first daughter dean was born [Music] [Laughter] their business was doing well and this happy life was supposed to continue on [Music] however it took a turn for the worse the outbreak of covet 19 swept across the world in 2020 [Music] foreign tourists disappeared from kyoto [Music] [Music] the peaceful life in kyoto that kanji the homeless dog had finally found was over their business was permanently closed [Music] on the family started a new life in the suburbs of tokyo close to where they had grown up today they're taking sample photos for new year's day with ning posing as a [Music] [Applause] dean model speaks chinese as her grandmother helps take care of her [Music] the studio is decorated with handmade dried flowers and of course kaji joins in he looks a bit restless but when the photoshoot begins he stayed still posing for the camera the family has overcome many hardships with kajii [Music] it has been four years since kaji joined the family [Music] could i just get it tomorrow [Laughter] [Music] [Music] okay [Music] at first impression shibahi news may not seem very friendly but they'll be there for you and comfort you the profound charm of shibainuz will continue to capture the hearts of many people [Music] you

Channel: NHK WORLD-JAPAN

Views: 1,643,749

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Id: yCe0LxQfBvg

Length: 49min 6sec (2946 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 24 2022